Both International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the maritime industry have always seen the importance of the seafaring profession. In year 2010, IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E Mitropolus declared the year promises to be an auspicious and important year for seafarers.

By presenting 2010 as the Year of the Seafarer, it would help reassure seafarers working at the “sharp end” of the industry that the entire shipping community and those responsible for the international regulatory regime genuinely sympathise, care and understand the extreme pressures that seafarers face in their work.

This theme in hand, also allows the maritime community to pay tribute to the 1.5 million seafarers across the globe for their unique contribution to the society and in recognition, of the vital roles they play in facilitation of the global world trade.

At SMOU, we continue to increase efforts to recruit and train cadets to resolve the manpower shortage issue faced by the industry through various initiatives – such as the Tripartite Nautical Training Award or TNTA.

The TNTA serves as an excellent platform for Singaporeans who aspire to be a seafarer. A collaboration with the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) Employment & Employability Institute (e2i), the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) and the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), this initiative offers deserving Singaporeans good employment opportunities in the maritime sector – not forgetting shipping employers to have the opportunity to alleviate their manpower shortage.